The Interview
by Scarlet Eve
Summary: Emma Lambert landed the gig of the century - to interview and write a biography about the life of Relena Peacecraft-Darlian. At first, Emma thinks her story is going to be boring. Until, that is, Relena is thrust into a life or death situation, and Emma is dragged along for the ride.
1. Chapter 1

Emma Lambert stepped out of the taxi and looked up at the tall, gleaming ESUN building. It was the middle of spring, and the sun had decided to come out. The mirrored glass windows reflected back the sunlight, making the building look as if it were colored in different shades of blue.

The Preventer in the guard shack by the door of the building cleared his throat. Emma glanced at him, blushing slightly. "Can I help you with something?" the man asked, looking gruff and unhappy. Emma fumbled with her bag and drew out a pre-printed pass that would allowed her temporary and restricted access to the building. Emma showed the badge to the guard.

"I'm here to see Minister Darlian," she said, nervously tucking a strand of curly hair behind her ear. The guard scanned the badge with his reader, then handed it back.

"You're clear. Go on in," he said. Emma hurried to the doors, and the guard buzzed her inside.

Now that she was no longer under the intense scrutiny of the guard, Emma felt more at ease. She had interviewed plenty of high-profile politicians before, and was used to the marbled lobbies, the sleek modern furniture, and the prim and pressed front desk administrator. The lobby of the ESUN was no different. The floor was made up of shiny black tiles, and the pillars were made of black and white marble. Black leather couches and chairs were arranged off to one side, where a few people were sitting, looking at their phones or watching the television hanging from the ceiling.

Emma pulled her phone from her purse and pulled up the email exchange she'd had with Minister Relena Darlian the previous week. "Floor eighteen, office eighteen-zero-three," Emma whispered to herself. She headed towards the bank of elevators and pressed the "UP" button. While she waited, she looked through her list of interview questions and pieces of Minister Darlian's life that she needed to get some additional information, straight from the source. The elevator gave off a soft _bing_ and the doors slid open. Emma stepped inside and pressed the button for the eighteenth floor.

The elevator whizzed up to the eighteenth floor and halted. The doors slid open once more, revealing a carpeted hallway lined with doors. Emma followed the numbers down a few doors to the one labeled 1803 with a nameplate on the door that read "Foreign Affairs." The door was ajar, so Emma pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Beyond the door was an open space which contained a large L-shaped desk to one side, and a few leather chairs and couches arranged around a coffee table. A young woman sat behind the desk, working on a laptop. There were two doors off the room - one had Relena Darlian's name beside it, and the other had the name of the VFM, Toby Jones.

The woman behind the desk looked up and smiled at Emma. "Good morning! You must be Emma Lambert," she said, rising from her chair. Emma crossed the room to shake hands with the administrator.

"Yes, I'm here for my appointment with Minister Darlian," Emma said. The woman nodded.

"Of course. Go right on in. She's expecting you." Emma glanced at the closed door and the shiny nameplate.

"You're sure? Just walk in?"

"Of course!" The woman sat back down at her desk and resumed her typing. Emma took a long breath, then stepped up to the door, reminding herself that Relena Darlian was just another woman, another human being.

Emma grabbed the door handle and pushed her way inside.

The office on the other side of the door was a good size, the far wall lined with windows facing out over the city. Relena's large desk was situated in the middle of the windows, so she could turn around in her chair and look outside. There were many bookshelves lining the wall, most of the shelves stuffed with books, folders, binders, and other knick knacks. Two leather chairs matching the ones outside of the room stood along one wall, with a small tea table between them. Certificates, pictures, and college degrees lined the walls.

Relena Darlian sat behind her desk, working at her computer. When Emma entered, Relena looked up and smiled.

"Ah, good morning," Relena said, rising from her desk. "Emma Lambert?" Relena approached Emma, holding her hand out. Emma grabbed the Minister's hand in return, and was surprised by the strength of her handshake.

"I'm so pleased to meet you, Minister Darlian," Emma said, awkwardly trying to find the right words, amount of eye contact, and body posture that showed respect to someone of Minister Darlian's birth, upbringing, and current position. Should she have curtsied?

"Please, just call me Relena," the Minister said, and Emma felt herself blush.

"Oh uh…"

"Have a seat, Miss Lambert," Relena added, covering Emma's loss of words. Relena stepped back around her desk and sat down, gesturing for Emma to do the same. She finally remembered how to walk and stumbled into the chair and sat down. She pulled out her notebook, pen, and voice recorder. Emma placed the recorder on the desk between them.

"I'm not sure I'm old enough to warrant a biography," Relena said before Emma could speak. She smiled.

"The publishers really want to know about the years during the war, and perhaps some of your childhood that led you to where you are now," Emma said. She flipped her hand out, twirling her pen in a circle, trying to put on a casual air. "The people will want another biography written later in your life. I'm sure you have many more amazing things ahead of you." Emma saw a skeptical look pass over Relena's face, but it disappeared just as quickly.

Emma relaxed. She knew her job, and she knew how to interview people. As her initial introduction with Relena Darlian wore off, she felt her tongue loosen. There had been a question she'd been dying to ask the Minister as soon as Emma was assigned this job.

"There is a point of interest I am curious about, mostly off the record," Emma said, still twirling her pen.

"Oh?"

"A certain Gundam pilot that caught your attention," Emma said with a sly smile. "I believe they called him Zero-One during the wars."

"As I'm sure you know," Relena began. "The information pertaining to the Gundams has been deemed classified." The response was obviously rehearsed and recited many times. Emma flapped her hand again.

"Oh, I understand. We can talk in _general_ terms," she said. "We can't erase the fact that the Gundams were a major part of the wars, but we don't have to go into detail. I'm sure you don't know their real names…" Emma trailed off, expecting Relena to fill her in. The Minster folded her arms and leaned back in her chair.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot and will not give out _that_ information," Relena said. "Your publisher will have to accept their numerical code names." Emma sighed, but a smile returned to her face.

"Ah well, it was worth a shot. Now tell me, what was the first incident that you can remember that might have sent you along your current life path?"

The Minister blinked, and her arms unfolded. Her eyes grew a little misty, as if she were traveling far back in time...

* * *

" _Where have you been?"_

" _I have been at the ESUN building. Remember? I'm interviewing Relena Darlian."_

" _Ohh yeah! What's she like?"_

" _She's pretty much how everyone describes her. She's kind and modest, and super professional. We've only talked about her childhood so far."_

" _And?"_

" _Well, I don't think this book will be as exciting as my boss thinks. She grew up as a diplomat's daughter, and now she's a diplomat. I don't think she got into much trouble during the wars - except for ending up as Queen."_

" _So… you think that her story will be boring? Did you find out about that Gundam pilot?"_

" _She wouldn't tell me anything about him. And I think her boring story is a possibility that some might have to accept."_


	2. Chapter 2

The Interview

Chapter 2

by Scarlet Eve

* * *

The following afternoon, Emma entered the ESUN building with her temporary access pass. The previous night, she'd spent a few hours going over her notes and listening to her recordings of the interview and wrote a few more follow up questions to ask.

Minister Darlian's secretary let her into the office again, greeting her just as cheerfully as the day before. When Emma entered Minister Darlian's office, she appeared to be absorbed in something. Emma paused nervously, before calling out, "Good morning, Minister." Minister Darlian's head snapped up.

"Ah, Miss Lambert. Good afternoon!" She gestured to the chairs in front of her desk. "Please, have a seat. I will be with you in a moment." Relena turned her attention back to her computer screen while her fingers skimmed over the keyboard. Emma propped her notebook up against the desk and watched the Minister work. In the middle of typing, her phone began to chirp. Without looking away from the screen, she picked up the phone, answered it, holding the device between her shoulder and ear, and continued to type. Emma took notes.

"Hilde," Relena said into the phone. "What time will your shuttle be arriving?... Shall I send a car to pick you up? … Of course it's not a problem." She reached out for a pen and scratched something down on a notepad beside her computer. Emma tried to casually glance at the note, which appeared to be a gate number and time. "Sounds great. I can't wait to see you." The conversation ended, goodbyes were exchanged, and Relena hung up her phone. She typed for another thirty seconds, then turned away from her computer and met Emma's eyes.

"I apologize," Relena said. "Trying to get ahead of some work."

"That's not a problem, Minister," Emma said, giving her a smile.

"Please, just call me Relena." Emma knew she could not be so informal with her, but Emma smiled and nodded anyway.

"Shall we pick up where we left off yesterday?" Emma asked, her pen poised over her notebook, her recorder waiting patiently on the desk. Relena nodded and leaned back in her chair, twisting a pen between her fingers. She began to talk about her teenage years, when she joined her father on his business trips to the colonies, observing and learning his job and the politics of the former government.

After the first few hours, Relena paused, her hand covering her stomach. Emma glanced up from her notes, and the Minister smiled sheepishly. "Do you mind if we pause our discussion for a little while? My body is scolding me for skipping lunch," Relena said. Emma smiled. Truth be told, she was a little hungry herself.

"I don't mind. It will give me a chance to see you out in the real world," Emma said, turned off the recorder and tucked her notebook back into her bag. Relena grabbed a small purse from a drawer of her desk, and stood up. The two women left the office, and Relena stopped at the desk of her assistant.

"Please call my driver," she said. The assistant nodded and picked up the phone. Relena turned to Emma. "For the sake of your research, I'll take you to the secret ESUN cafe. But you can't give away the name of the place, or the location."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "I think I can manage that."

Relena led the way down the elevator to the ESUN parking garage. When they stepped through the double glass doors, Relena's driver was waiting for her. Emma took mental notes about the Preventer driver, apparently armed, who opened the back door of the limo to allow the two women inside.

"Where to, Miss Darlian?" the driver asked, after he slipped inside the driver's seat.

"The cafe, please," Relena said, then turned to Emma. "It is slightly embarrassing for me to admit that I am not very good at driving. I can count the number of times I've driven myself on my fingers."

"I do have to admit to being slightly jealous," Emma replied. "Perhaps after this book, I will be able to pay someone to drive me around."

"I won't lie to you," Relena replied. "It is extremely convenient." They laughed. Relena pulled a tablet from her purse, which gave Emma a chance to glance at her phone. She had a few text messages from her friend.

 _Are you interviewing Relena Darlian again?_

 _I want her autograph._

 _Can she be my best friend?_

Emma rolled her eyes and tapped out a response.

 _Yes, I'm interviewing her all week. We're going to get food right now._

The response came back at lightning speed.

 _SO JEALOUS!_

 _You know her job isn't that interesting. She's just a bureaucrat._

 _You're such a buzz kill._

 _I'm just saying…._

Her friend apparently lost interest in the conversation, because she didn't respond again. Emma glanced at Relena, who appeared to be answering an email on her tablet. After she sent the email, she glanced up and looked out the window.

"We're here," she said. The limo pulled up alongside a small cafe wedged between two larger buildings. On one side was a bridal store, and the other was a law office. The driver stepped out of the car and opened the door on the side of the sidewalk. Relena slid out, followed by Emma.

Inside the cafe, Relena was greeted by name, and they were seated immediately at a small table near the Minister and Vice Minister of Culture, who greeted Relena with smiles and handshakes. Relena and Emma sat down at the small table, Emma looking around with wide eyes at the number of politicians currently eating at the same cafe.

"So, ESUN officials come here to eat, and no one really knows?" Emma asked.

"That's right. There's an unspoken rule no one talks work here. Most of these people have been working 60-80 hours a week to establish the new world government, so this place is sort of a refuge from work," Relena explained.

"Can't say I blame them," Emma commented, her eyes glancing around the cafe.

"It has been a long ten years," Relena said.

The waiter arrived to take their order and drop off a teapot of the standard green tea served by the cafe. After he departed, Emma sipped her tea and posed another question to Relena.

"This is sort of off-the-record, but you didn't see much of the action during the wars, did you?" Relena stared at her, formulating her thoughts before speaking. "I tried looking into your whereabouts during the various battles, but I couldn't find anything. My assumption is that you would have been somewhere safe."

Relena smiled and glanced down at her tea cup.

"As a matter of fact, I have seen more action so far in my life than I ever had a need for. I will tell all this to you in detail when we get there, but let's just say I was at the heart of many of the conflicts during 195 and 196, and several more in the following years."

"But your position and status suggests-"

"I've never been particularly good at following protocol. I also have a bad habit of getting myself into trouble." Emma's eyebrow rose speculatively. "I have a very excellent PR agent who manages all that information. The only information you'll be able to find about those years would be rumors."

"I have to admit, Miss Relena, I'm fairly shocked. None of this adds up to your public image," Emma said, itching to pull out her notebook.

"I know. I'll give you the true stories during our interviews. Unfortunately, because of my history and status, many people seem to think that killing me will bring down everything we've built," Relena said. "But I suppose that's the point of our government's structure. Even if I go down, my work will continue."

"You talk about that so nonchalantly," Emma commented. Relena shrugged.

"I have accepted it as a possibility. It makes me feel a little less stressed, in a strange way."

Emma tried to say something else, but words failed her. She shook her head, and their discussion was thankfully interrupted by the arrival of food.

* * *

" _Remember how I mentioned that Relena Darlian's story might not be very interesting?"_

" _Yeah…"_

" _Well she was giving me some major hints that there is more going on in her life that no one else knows about."_

" _Like, scandalous stuff?"_

" _No. Like, did you know she was_ there _when her father was assassinated? She was just outside of the building. If she had stayed inside, she would have been killed!"_

" _I've never heard of any of that before."_

" _Right? Apparently she's got a good PR agent. I'm trying to find out who that is right now, but that's even harder to find than other information about her."_

* * *

-SE


	3. Chapter 3

The Interview  
Chapter 3

by Scarlet Eve

* * *

Emma stepped out from the small bathroom and back into the cafe. Relena was still sitting at their table, chatting with someone at the table next to theirs. Emma stowed her phone back in her purse and walked briskly back to the table and sat down. Relena wrapped up her conversation with the other minister and returned her attention to Emma.

"Are you ready to leave?" she asked, and Emma nodded. The two women rose from the table. As Emma pulled her cardigan back on, she turned towards the door. Two men walked in, both wearing dark trench coats and dark sunglasses. Immediately, Emma felt a wash of fear run over her, though she didn't quite understand why. Clutching her purse to her side, she glanced back at Relena, who wore a severe expression on her face. The cafe grew quiet as the other patrons seemed to pick up on the two men, who clearly did not belong. The hostess did not immediately seat them, or even talk to them.

"Minister Darlian…" Emma began to say, but sudden gunshots cut her off. Emma screamed, clapped her hands to her ears and dropped down to the floor, knocking her knees painfully as she landed.

Around her, other patrons screamed and cried out, but their voices were drowned by near constant gunshots. Emma's knowledge of guns was minimal, but she thought they must run out _eventually_. She started to lift her head, but felt a hand press her head back down.

"Don't move." It was Relena, whispering to her. The Minister was crawling on the floor, and in one hand, Emma saw she held a pistol. Emma opened her mouth to exclaim, but Relena shook her head. The Minister slipped her phone from her pocket and dialed a number. The phone made no noise as it rang, and the Minister never put her phone to her ear. After the call answered, Relena hung up and put the phone away.

"No one move," one of the men shouted over the cafe. The cries and screams came to a sudden halt. The two men advanced into the cafe, kicking chairs out of their way. They appeared to be looking around at all the patrons who were still crouched down on the ground.

The door to the cafe opened with a bang. Between the legs of chairs and tables, Emma saw that three more men dressed in black entered the cafe. She began to tremble, clutching at her purse strap until her knuckles turned white. Beside her, Minister Darlian appeared to be completely calm.

The five men in black pushed through the cafe and shoved aside chairs and tables. They bypassed every politician in the room, until their boots landed just beside the table Emma and Relena had occupied. Emma held back a squeal of terror. The table beside her was pushed aside, the dishes clattering to the floor and crashing to the floor.

"There you are, Relena Darlian." Emma glanced up through her eyelashes. The men were glaring down at the Minister. "You're coming with us." The Minister stood up from among the tables and chairs and brushed off her skirt and blazer. Emma watched in horror.

"I suppose you think that my capture will lead to you achieving some goal," Relena said, maintaining a strong stance against the five men. Each one pulled a rifle from under their coats and aimed it at the Minister. She didn't even flinch. She simply raised her hands up, still holding her pistol.

"Drop it," the man in front said. Relena bent and set her gun down on the ground. Two men pushed their rifles to their backs and stepped forward and roughly grabbed Relena by the arms. She stumbled forward under their grasps. Emma pressed herself up from the ground and reached a hand out.

"No! Miss Darlian!"

Relena's head whipped around and for the first time, Emma saw fear on her face. "No…" she whispered. The first man nodded to one of the others.

"Get her, too," he said. Emma tried to scramble backwards, but the man leaned down and pulled her up with the strength of one arm. She tried to squirm away from him, but before she could, she felt a sharp blow to her forehead, and everything went dark.

* * *

-SE


	4. Chapter 4

The Interview  
Chapter 4

by Scarlet Eve

* * *

Emma opened her eyes. Her head throbbed painfully, and she thought she could feel something dried on her cheek and temple. Maybe blood. Her arms and legs were bound with wire. Beside her, she could hear someone else breathing.

"Minister?" Emma asked.

"You're awake." It was her voice. "Are you alright?"

"My head." Emma said, closing her eyes against the pain.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this," the Minister said.

"No, no. I shouldn't have cried out," Emma said. "I knew you wanted me to stay quiet, but I didn't."

Relena didn't answer right away. Eventually she said, "It is what it is. And now we're getting out of here."

"How?" Emma asked. She heard Relena shuffling around beside her. It was too dark to see what she was doing. Emma tugged at her restraints on her wrists and ankles, but they were bound too tight. She couldn't even make her wrists move inside the binds. She hoped that they wouldn't leave marks.

A small red light appeared in the darkness. "This is Snow. Does anyone copy?" Relena said.

"Snow?" Emma asked, but Relena hushed her.

A grainy voice came through whatever device she was using. "Snow. This is Water. We lost your position." It was a woman's voice.

"I know. They took my cellphone. This communicator doesn't have a tracker on it, does it?"

"No, unfortunately. Vega is not very happy about that."

Relena chuckled. "He wouldn't be."

"Can you see anything or hear anything? Did you see any landmarks?" Water asked, whoever she was.

"No. I had a bag over my head that reeked of gasoline. I think I must have passed out at some point. And my friend here was knocked out."

"You have someone with you?" Water asked.

"Yes. Emma Lambert."

"That complicates things. Do you have your weapon?"

"No, it was taken," Relena said. There was a long pause before Water said anything.

"Okay. We've got some security footage that we're going to use to try and track your location. If you find anything, let us know as soon as possible."

"Roger," Relena said, and the red light disappeared.

"What was that about?" Emma asked.

"Preventer," Relena replied. Emma could hear her moving about in the darkness. She desperately wished she had a notebook or a recording device. Her purse. She hoped she'd be able to find it, or she'd lose so many notes she'd taken that day. Emma would have to do her best to remember everything that was happening. "You cannot write about the codenames," Relena added, as if reading her mind.

"Yes, ma'am," Emma said, a little sullen. "Are you a Preventer?"

"Honorary," Relena answered. It sounded like she was further away now. Emma wondered how she was moving around. "I don't go on missions, obviously."

"You have a codename, though," Emma said.

"Yes, for situations like this," Relena answered.

"This happens often?"

"More than I'd care to admit."

"You didn't mention this in the early interviews," Emma said, feeling a little haughty.

Emma heard Relena laugh. "It's not something I'd like to publicize. 'Foreign Minister is easily kidnapped and captured.' I'd have to hire Preventer full time," she said. "I probably should anyway, after this." The red light appeared again. "Snow here."

"Are you alright?" A frantic male.

"Didn't Water relay the information to you?" Relena asked.

"Of course I did," Water replied.

"I'm fine, Vega. I'm trying to figure out what kind of room I'm in," she said. "There are no lights. Not much of anything, really."

"Have you found the door?" Vega asked.

"Not yet. They bound my ankles and wrists," Relena said. "It's hard to move around."

"As I said before, please let us know if you find anything," Water said.

"I will." The red light disappeared.

"Who is Vega?" Emma asked.

"I guess you'd call him my boyfriend. It's a little more complicated than that," Relena said. "This isn't really the time to continue our interview." Emma sighed to herself and listened to Relena fumble around in the dark some more, until she finally cried out, "Found it!" A door rattled in its frame.

"Is that the door?" Emma asked.

"Yes," Relena said. The door shook again. "Can you make it over here, Emma? I think if we both put our weight into it, we could break this door down."

"You're not going to wait for the Preventers?" Emma asked, feeling fearful once more.

"We can't just wait," Relena said. "Just try."

Emma bit her lip. She rolled around to move her bound wrists from behind her back to her front. That was easy enough. Using her hands, she managed to brace herself against the wall and slowly rise up onto her feet.

"I don't know which direction you're in," Emma said.

"Over here," Relena said. Emma turned in the direction of her voice and began to shuffle unsteadily on her feet, trying to keep her arms out in front of her to maintain her balance. "You're doing great. Just a little more." Emma corrected her direction slightly and continued to shuffle. She nearly tripped several times, and once lost her footing and crashed to the floor. "Are you alright?" Relena asked.

"Yeah," Emma said. She pushed herself back up to her feet and continued to move. Finally, she bumped into a wall. She turned and reach out, until she felt Relena's blazer under her fingers.

"Good job," Relena said. "The door is here." Emma held her hands out and felt along the wall, until she felt the frame of the door. "Put your shoulder to it, and on three, we both put all our weight into it."

"Okay…"

"One… two… three!" Together, they lunged their shoulders into the door. It rattled in the frame, and there was a slight cracking noise. "Almost. One more time. One… two… three!" Again, they lunged into the door. The lock gave way and the wood frame splintered out. The door swung out, and the two women toppled over each other as they landed on the floor.

"Oww…" Emma moaned. Relena shifted beside her.

"We did it," she said, as if no other option existed. Emma rolled to her side and pulled her legs up to her chest. She tried to push herself up onto her knees. The throbbing in her head resumed.

"Now what?" Emma asked, looking around. They had fallen into an equally as dark room or hallway. She couldn't be sure.

"It's strange there are no guards," Relena said. "Someone must have heard all that noise." Heavy footfalls echoed through the hallway. "Ah, there they are."

Emma couldn't believe how matter-of-fact she sounded. "What do we do?" she asked, panicked.

"Whatever we can," Relena said. She was silent for a moment. "This is Snow."

"Go ahead Snow." It was the same woman from before. Water.

"About to engage with the enemy," Relena said. "We broke out of the room, and now they're coming for us."

"Relena!" the male voice from before yelled over the small communicator.

"Guess you better hurry," Relena said. Lights flicked on, flooding the hallway with light. Both Emma and Relena held their bound hands to their eyes to block the sudden light. On one end, the perpendicular hallway filled with men, dressed in black, carrying guns. To their backs was a dead end. Relena stowed her communicator and glanced back at Emma.

"Follow my lead," she said. Emma fought back tears of fear and nodded.

* * *

-SE


	5. Chapter 5

The Interview

Chapter 5

by Scarlet Eve

* * *

The end of the hallway filled with men wearing black, their faces mostly covered, aiming rifles at both Emma and Relena. Now that there was light, Emma saw that the hallway was filled with what looked like trash and old boxes. The space had a very thick metal and oil smell that made Emma feel a little dizzy.

The men parted as a shorter man made his way through the crowd, his arms crossed over his chest in a very haughty way. He was dressed in what looked like a loose linen suit and shiny white shoes. Emma inched closer to Relena and heard the other woman sigh.

"I should have known it was you," Relena said, tilting her head to the side. The shorter man smiled.

"I knew that if I attempted to kidnap you enough times, I'd win eventually," he replied. "And it appears that we caught a spare." He turned his beady gaze onto Emma, and she shrunk back. Relena shook her head.

"You won't be doing anything to either of us," Relena said.

"You think your Preventer friends will come and save you?" he asked. Relena shrugged her shoulders.

"Either way, we'll be fine."

Emma noticed that the shorter man was put off by this statement. He briefly lost face, but recovered quickly. He ignored Relena and stepped closer to Emma. "And who are you?" he asked her. Emma was shaking too much to answer.

"No one you need to concern yourself with," Relena interrupted, shuffling to block his way. The man remained in front of Relena, closing in on her. She glared down at him, her eyes steely. He smiled.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "Come along then, Miss Darlian." The man stepped away and the men with rifles surrounded Relena and Emma. Hands gripped on their arms and dragged them down the hallway and through a doorway. The room that looked like a control room of sorts. Several people sat at computer terminals, typing away while images flashed up on screens. Emma thought the whole room looked rather old and outdated.

Relena and Emma were pushed down into chairs on the side of the room, and the five men stood in a semi-circle, facing away, guarding them. The short man from before had disappeared. Emma leaned close to Relena.

"Who are these people?" she asked. Relena sighed.

"They have old ties to OZ," Relena said. "You know, some people just have a hard time letting things go. Their leader is Von Pappas. I have encountered him many times during my political career, and it's true that he has tried to kidnap me many times. After the wars, he worked for the ESUN in various positions, but each time he tried to grab more power, he was knocked back down. I had heard he was fired from his position, and it seems this is what he's been doing in his free time."

"What do they want?"

"I'm sure you know that at one time, I was Queen of the Earth Sphere," Relena said.

"Of course. Everyone knows that," Emma replied.

"Von Pappas seems to think that I can somehow force the ESUN to get rid of the one-world government and replace all the borders of all the countries, back to how it was," Relena explained.

"But it's not that easy?" Emma asked.

"No. First of all, I do not have that power. Secondly, much has changed in the last thirteen years. Even the territory boundaries are not the same as they were before. Many areas have been reconfigured to allow for better control by the territory leaders," she said. "I have tried to convince Von Pappas of this many times, but he refuses to listen." As she spoke, she glared across the room at the men wearing black, as if she were speaking directly to them.

"So, what are we gonna do?" Emma asked. Relena shook her head as her eyes scanned the room.

"I need a few minutes to formulate a plan."

Emma felt fear grip her chest. The men in the room openly stared at the two women, and unconsciously, Emma gripped her legs together. Beside her, Relena continued to scan the room, a serious expression on her face. It reminded Emma of some interviews she'd watched, where Relena was explaining the work on the Mars Terraformation project, and how deeply that knowledge and concentration reached inside of her. Emma acknowledged to herself that she had to rely on Relena Darlian to get her out of this situation, and for whatever reason, that idea sent a thrill through her that bypassed much of her fear.

"Emma."

"Yes?" she asked, alert once more.

"Our bags are over there," Relena whispered, nodding across the room. Sure enough, the two purses were sitting on the floor, surrounded by boxes and dirty rags. Emma winced. Her purse cost her a lot of money.

"We're going to get them, right?" Emma asked, thinking of her notebook and recording device.

"Yes, we will. But first, I need to get this wire off," Relena said, looking down at her bound hands. Relena's wrists were already red and swollen from the wire pressing on her skin. Emma glanced at her own wrists, and saw she bore the same marks. Relena looked at Emma. "I'm going to turn towards you and lean my head on you shoulder, and I need you act like you're comforting me."

"Huh?"

"I'm going to work off these wires while they can't see what I'm doing."

Emma just stared at Relena, but the other woman turned in her chair until her knees were pressed against Emma's thigh. Relena leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Emma's shoulder, so Emma, confused and afraid, crossed her bound hands over to rest on Relena's knees.

"It'll be okay…?" Emma said, and she felt Relena nod against her shoulder. Emma couldn't see what Relena was doing, but she could feel her hands moving and twisting around. A few of the men in the room watched them and snickered. Emma resisted the urge to bite her lip, and instead, imitated one of Relena's hard, steel-like glares. One by one, the men glanced away from her.

Emma didn't know how long Relena worked on her wrists, but eventually, Relena lifted her head and shifted in her chair. Her wrists were red and raw from the wire, but they were free, though Relena left the wire wrapped loosely around her wrists. "How did you do that?" Emma whispered.

Relena smiled. "I have some interesting friends," she answered. Emma opened her mouth to accuse Relena of knowing the Gundam pilots, but she was interrupted by the arrival of Von Pappas. He swept into the room, a small contingent of men following behind him. Emma noticed, however, that his white shoes had dirty smudges on them. Why did the man even bother with that color in such a dirty, disgusting place?

Relena hid her wrists and glanced up at Von Pappas, an unamused expression on her face.

"Have you discovered how futile your actions are?" Relena asked him. He glared at her.

"I may just kill you, to stop your incessant talking," Von Pappas said. His haughty attitude from before was gone, and Emma wondered what happened. Relena smiled at him, unaffected by his threat.

"You know you don't have the guts to kill me," she said. "You'd be put to death."

"The death penalty is illegal," he said, his voice shaking a bit. Emma's lips curled into a smile, to see this man disarmed so easily by Relena Darlian.

"I didn't say you'd _legally_ be put to death," Relena said, her expression wicked and amused. Emma tried to carve the expression into her memory, so she could never forget the strength that Relena had in the face of certain danger.

Von Pappas scoffed and turned away from the two women. He approached the men sitting at the computer consoles. Upon closer inspection, Emma saw that the screens appeared to be linked to video cameras that watched the perimeter of a building, likely the one they were inside. The men at the consoles were monitoring the activity outside of the building. Emma wished she could tell where they were based on the screens in front of her, but she had no idea. Beside her, Relena continued to stare at Von Pappas, a slight smile on her lips.

"What do we do now?" Emma whispered, leaning her head close to avoid anyone else hearing. Relena inhaled through her nose.

"I'm just trying to stall until Preventer can find us," Relena replied. Emma bit her lower lip.

"But how will they find us?" Emma asked. Relena shook her head. Emma fought back tears once more.

The tension in the room thickened.

"Damn it."

Emma looked up, and saw Von Pappas turn around, his expression furious.

"How did they find us?!" he cried out, his eyes on Relena.

"Who?" she asked, innocently. Von Pappas rolled his eyes.

"You know who. Those damn Preventers!" He spun back around and watched as black and brown clad people appeared on the screens surrounding the building. "Well! Go get them!" Von Pappas shouted, slapping at the head of one of his men, who flinched and rose from the chair. The others stumbled up after the first man, retrieving their weapons from the corner of the room.

* * *

-SE


	6. Chapter 6

The Interview

Chapter 6

by Scarlet Eve

* * *

Emma's head swiveled wildly back and forth, taking in the sudden flurry of activity in the room. Men jumped up from their stations at the command console and grabbed a rifle from the stack in the corner of the room. Von Pappas watched them with a glowering expression on his face. Beside her, Relena was calm, with a slight smile on her face. Emma couldn't understand it. What if Von Pappas's men overwhelmed the Preventers? Emma was familiar with the organization, but she didn't know anything about their competency. Her insides tightened with nerves and she could feel sweat dripping down her neck and back.

"Well, Minister? How did they find us?" Von Pappas asked, turning his attention back to Relena, who shrugged her delicate shoulders. The room was now empty save for the three of them.

"The Preventer agency has many resources available to them, and you lack organization and secrecy, so it's no wonder they were able to find you so quickly," Relena said. Von Pappas growled and stepped forward. He swung his hand up and brought it down to Relena's cheek. Quicker than Emma could process, Relena reached up and grabbed his hand mid-air and stopped the blow from raining on her cheek. Von Pappas let out a started gasp and took a step backward. Relena reached down and quickly unbound her ankles while Von Pappas struggled to regain his composure.

Emma glanced to the screens on the command console. She could see the firefight break out between Von Pappas's men and the Preventers, but it seemed to her that the Preventers had the upper hand.

Relena rose from her chair and stood in a power stance, her hands resting on her hips and her legs spread apart. Emma swore she saw Von Pappas shrink at the sight of her.

"Call off your men," Relena commanded. Von Pappas shook his head, and pulled a pistol from inside the waistband of his pants. He aimed the weapon at Relena's chest, but Relena never flinched. She stood her ground, her gaze still leveled on Von Pappas. Emma let out a squeak of fear.

"I will get what I want from you," he said, his eyes shining with malice. He took a step forward, keeping his gun aimed at her chest.

"You don't have the guts to shoot me," Relena said. Emma's eyes widened at the provokation. Relena was _asking_ for this man to shoot her.

"Try me, Minister," he said, and his finger squeezed on the trigger. The blast went off, and Emma slid off her chair, curling into a ball on the greasy floor. Relena dove to the side, but Emma heard her cry out in pain. Von Pappas let out a laugh and fired again, but Emma didn't see if the bullet hit Relena or not. She heard a scuffle near the door, and the thud of several pairs of boots on the floor.

"Drop your weapon," a deep, masculine voice said from the doorway. Emma looked up from the floor and saw a group of Preventer agents. The one in front was a tall, lean man with dark, unruly hair that fell over brilliantly blue eyes. His expression was fierce and scary, and Emma hoped to never have that expression directed at _her_.

Von Pappas dropped his pistol and slowly rose his arms into the air. Two Preventers broke away from the man who spoke and grabbed Von Pappas's arms, pulling them behind his back. The man in front fell away from the group and knelt beside Relena, who was hunched over on the ground, her hand wrapped around her bicep. Emma pushed herself into a sitting position, though her movements were still restricted by the wire wrapped around her wrists and ankles.

"Here, let me help you with that," another Preventer said. This man was tall, with light brown hair and green eyes. He smiled at her as he unbound her wrists first, then her ankles, and offered a hand to help her to her feet. She accepted his help, and he easily lifted her to her feet. He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Relena, are you alright?" the other man asked, his hands on the Minister, trying to inspect the wound on her arm that was still spilling blood. Emma's face went white at the sight of the pool of blood on the floor beside her. She swayed unsteadily on her feet, and the Preventer agent's arm tightened around her shoulders.

"I'm fine," Relena said. She looked up from the man in front of her. "Emma, are you alright?" Emma nodded, feeling tears spring into her eyes. She mentally scolded herself for wanting to cry when Relena was kneeling with a gunshot wound and was a calm as could be. Emma longed to be as strong as Relena Darlian.

"Let's get you two out of here," Emma's preventer said, and he pulled her along beside him towards the door.

"Wait," she cried out, and ran to the corner where the two purses sat slumped against each other. She heard the Preventer chuckle as she grabbed both her own and Relena's purses from the ground and slung them over her shoulder. She longed to find a pen and her recording device and take notes.

The Preventers led them out of the building, with Von Pappas bringing up the rear. Emma felt the knot in her stomach untwist as she understood that she was out of present danger. They walked through the greasy, dirty halls of the warehouse building until they reached the outside. A large group of Preventer agents stood around, holding their rifles aimed at Von Pappas's men, who were subdued and sitting on the ground in a large group. An ambulance stood waiting nearby. The EMTs rushed forward when they saw Relena was bleeding, and immediately took her into their care, though Emma noticed that the Preventer reluctantly released her to them. He watched with a hard gaze as they brought Relena to the ambulance to treat her gunshot wound.

Emma watched the scene in front of her, awestruck at the efficiency of each individual. More vehicles with the Preventer logo emblazoned on the side arrived, and more Preventers spilled out from those vehicles, arresting Von Pappas and his men. For a moment, Emma felt very alone, until the Preventer who released her stepped to her side.

"My name is Agent Titan," he said, holding a hand out to her. She shook it, looking up into his green eyes. He smiled, and she felt a little shock through her system. "Trowa Barton, to my friends."

"Emma Lambert," she said, stumbling over her own name. It dawned on her, slowly, like a sunrise, that the man standing in front of her was one of the famed Gundam Pilots. Her mouth fell open.

"You're one of the-" she began to say, but Trowa pressed a finger to his lips. He gave her a slight nod, but then turned his attention away from her. Another Preventer approached, this one a woman, with long brown hair.

"Commander Gold," Trowa said, nodding to her. Commander Gold returned the nod and glanced down at Emma.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Emma nodded.

"A little worse for wear, but otherwise I'm okay," Emma said. "Is Relena going to be alright?"

Gold, Trowa, and Emma all turned to look at Relena, who was still receiving treatment for her wound, with the other Preventer agent hovering around her, fussing at the EMTs while they worked.

"She'll be fine," Gold said. "She's a tough woman, and this is hardly her first gunshot." Emma flinched and glanced up at the woman.

"Not her first?" she asked, itching to take out a pad of paper and a pen. Gold and Trowa both shook their heads. "She's amazing."

"Yes, she is," another voice said. It was the Preventer fussing over Relena. He had approached without Emma noticing. "Who are you?"

"Emma Lambert," she said, stumbling once more, but this time, because of the ice in his eyes. "I was interviewing the Minister for a book…"

But he nodded, understanding. Because he knew. Was he…?

"I'm Agent Vega, but you can call me Heero Yuy," he said, though he didn't offer a hand to shake, as Trowa had. "I trust we can count on your cooperation for keeping this situation quiet?"

"Heero, not now," Gold said, her voice stern. "We can talk about this back at the headquarters."

Emma barely heard him. Her mind was whirling. Heero Yuy, the Gundam Pilot, was standing in front of her, and it was clear that he _did_ had some relationship with Relena Darlian. The rumors were _true_.

* * *

Emma sat in a conference room in the Preventer headquarters. On the way over from Von Pappas's warehouse, she'd fished out her phone, only to find that it had been smashed. Relena's phone had met a similar fate, though the Minister didn't seem to worried about it. Emma's phone was her lifeline, and without it, she felt naked and unconnected.

The room bustled with activity; Preventer agents moved back and forth through the room, filling out paperwork, processing Von Pappas's men, and general discussions and recaps of the day's events. Emma watched, taking down notes in her notebook while she waited for someone to tell her what to do or when she could go.

The door to the room opened and a woman swept inside, stunning the room into silence. She was tall with excessively long, blonde hair. She carried a designer purse on her arm and a designer laptop case. She cleared a section of the table off with a sweep of her arm and sat down in the chair. She set her bags on the table and her eyes swept the room.

"Who are you?" she asked, her eyes landing on Emma.

"Uh, Emma Lambert. I'm a writer," she said. The woman's spiked eyebrow rose, but she smiled with recognition.

"Ah yes, Relena told me about you," she said. The woman gracefully stood from the chair and crossed over to Emma, offering a hand to shake.

"Dorothy Catalonia," she said. "I'm Relena's PR agent."

Emma had to resist allowing her mouth to fall open in surprise for the millionth time that day.

" _The_ Dorothy Catalonia?" Emma asked, shaking her hand vigorously. Dorothy laughed, though it came out more like a cackle.

"Why yes," she said.

"You were an integral part of the Second Eve War," Emma blurted out, and Dorothy simply nodded her head. "Your family's history-" Dorothy waved a hand.

"Oh, I know all the history and what they say about me," she said, but smiled. "I believe you and I have much to talk about. Specifically what you're going to write."

Emma blushed. In the back of her mind, she knew she was going to receive some push back about what she could say in regards to the day. In spite of that feeling, she had hoped anyway that she'd be able to include this section in her book. She thought it would be a perfect opening to the life that Relena Darlian has lead. First line idea - You would not believe the day I had.

"I was hoping to write this," Emma said, waving vaguely to include the entirety of the day.

Dorothy nodded her head and produced a pen. She twirled it around her fingers.

"I believe I can work with that," she said, and Emma's hopes lifted. "However, the agent names of the Preventers will have to be changed. You can't use their real names or their real code names. Same for Relena, You must change her code name."

Emma fumbled with her notebook, turned to a new page, and scribbled down the instructions from Dorothy. Changing the names wouldn't be too difficult. Emma questioned the how much people would actually believe her story, but she supposed they didn't have to believe it, not at first. The reader would believe it after reading the rest of the book, and realizing how exciting Relena's life had been up until that point.

Emma felt a renewed vigor for the project.

Dorothy continued to rattle off stipulations for including the story of the day into her book. Emma scribbled notes, trying to keep up with Dorothy's rapid fire pace.

In the middle of her tirade, she was interrupted by the arrival of Relena and the Preventer Agent, Heero Yuy. Emma looked up from her notes and smiled at seeing Relena up and about. "Miss Relena!" she said, standing up from the table. Relena smiled at Emma.

"I'm glad you're alright, Emma," Relena said. Emma shook her head.

"It's more important than you're okay! I can't believe you were shot," she said. Relena shrugged her shoulders.

"It's only a graze," Relena said. Emma shook her head, not able to believe how nonchalant Relena was about her injury.

"It was more than a graze," Heero said from beside her. Dorothy waved her hand.

"Everyone will believe it was just a graze," she said. "We can't divulge it being worse than that." Heero rolled his eyes but said nothing. The door opened again and this time, it was Trowa who entered the room.

"Miss Lambert?" he asked, crossing the room to stand near her. She smiled up at him, unable to help herself. "Agent Gold has cleared you to return home. She instructed me to take you."

"Oh, okay," Emma said, closing her notebook and tucking it away in her purse. Relena appeared beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll continue on Monday?" she asked. Emma blinked.

"But your arm," Emma protested.

"I'll be fine by Monday," Relena said. "I'll see you in my office bright and early."

Emma stared at Relena, but decided that the other woman wasn't going to back down. The interview would be complete no matter what happened. Emma appreciated Relena's tenacity.

"Alright. Monday morning," she said. Relena nodded. As Emma passed by her, following Trowa, she leaned into her and whispered, "You better tell me about your relationship with this Gundam pilot."

Relena chuckled and waved her away. Emma gave her a pointed stare, then followed Trowa from the room.

* * *

" _Where have you been? I've been trying to contact you all day!"_

" _You will not believe the day I've had. I had to get a new phone."_

" _What happened?"_

* * *

Thanks for reading this little fic! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

-SE


End file.
